Tom Collins
@tcollins.bsky.social
Scribbler, Irish News columnist, dad. Emeritus journalism prof at Stirling University.
Reposted by Tom Collins
Good stuff
From today, Gaelic and Scots are recognised as official languages.
A significant moment on St Andrew’s Day. 🏴
www.bbc.com/news/article...
A significant moment on St Andrew’s Day. 🏴
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Gaelic and Scots now recognised as official languages
The milestone is one of a number of new measures taking effect on St Andrew's Day from the Scottish Languages Act.
www.bbc.com
November 30, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Good stuff
Reposted by Tom Collins
I remember saving my pocket money aged 15 to go and see Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Opera House in Belfast. For a working-class boy madly in love with great literature it was life changing www.thestage.co.uk/news/playwri...
Playwright Tom Stoppard has died aged 88
Tom Stoppard, the award-winning writer of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia, Leopoldstadt and Shakespeare in Love, has died aged 88
www.thestage.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I remember saving my pocket money aged 15 to go and see Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Opera House in Belfast. For a working-class boy madly in love with great literature it was life changing www.thestage.co.uk/news/playwri...
Reposted by Tom Collins
Perfect Tom Stoppard story from DTel obituary:
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
November 29, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Perfect Tom Stoppard story from DTel obituary:
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
Reposted by Tom Collins
Pope Leo recently said his favorite movie of all time was “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Mine too. The pope’s and my favorite movie has a lot to tell us about where America is right now. Let me explain. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trump-the-pope-and-me
Trump, the Pope, and me
The real meaning of Pope Leo’s and my favorite film
robertreich.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Pope Leo recently said his favorite movie of all time was “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Mine too. The pope’s and my favorite movie has a lot to tell us about where America is right now. Let me explain. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trump-the-pope-and-me
Reposted by Tom Collins
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: The King’s brother, Prince Edward, enjoys his Surrey mansion at a peppercorn rent, it can be revealed, after The Times forced the disclosure of documents held by the Crown Estate
Prince Edward pays peppercorn rent for 120-room Surrey mansion
www.thetimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:22 PM
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: The King’s brother, Prince Edward, enjoys his Surrey mansion at a peppercorn rent, it can be revealed, after The Times forced the disclosure of documents held by the Crown Estate
Reposted by Tom Collins
Jesus ate the loaves and fish himself
Kemi Badenoch says welfare spending is unchristian
Kemi Badenoch says welfare spending is unchristian
Kemi Badenoch says welfare spending is unchristian
www.thetimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Jesus ate the loaves and fish himself
Reposted by Tom Collins
This is how the Mail has covered a 70% fall in net migration.
The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to
The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to
November 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
This is how the Mail has covered a 70% fall in net migration.
The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to
The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to
Reposted by Tom Collins
As political scandals go, a grubby backroom deal to, errrr, lift 450,000 children out of poverty is at least a novel one.
Headline on The World at One just now:
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
November 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
As political scandals go, a grubby backroom deal to, errrr, lift 450,000 children out of poverty is at least a novel one.
Reposted by Tom Collins
Witkoff is not buying the Russian narrative. He is selling it.
November 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Witkoff is not buying the Russian narrative. He is selling it.
Reposted by Tom Collins
Scam ads on Meta in UK likely worth more than all online news advertising. Meta probably made more than £600m from fraudulent UK advertising in 2024 pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/sc...
Scam ads on Meta in UK likely worth more than all online news advertising
Meta likely made more than £600m from fraudulent UK advertising in 2024.
pressgazette.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Scam ads on Meta in UK likely worth more than all online news advertising. Meta probably made more than £600m from fraudulent UK advertising in 2024 pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/sc...
Reposted by Tom Collins
Trump’s negotiator with Russia is too thick for his job. Polite version here >>>>> Steve Witkoff’s been played by Putin. He has to go
www.thetimes.com/article/81aa...
www.thetimes.com/article/81aa...
Steve Witkoff’s been played by Putin. He has to go
Trump’s placeman at the negotiating table is out of his depth when it comes to peace in Ukraine
www.thetimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Trump’s negotiator with Russia is too thick for his job. Polite version here >>>>> Steve Witkoff’s been played by Putin. He has to go
www.thetimes.com/article/81aa...
www.thetimes.com/article/81aa...
Reposted by Tom Collins
Today’s Irish News article on the tripartite negotiations which began this day 100 years ago in London that left the border in Ireland intact. WT Cosgrave was more interested in saving money for the Free State than helping Northern nationalists. www.irishnews.com/opinion/corm...
November 26, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Today’s Irish News article on the tripartite negotiations which began this day 100 years ago in London that left the border in Ireland intact. WT Cosgrave was more interested in saving money for the Free State than helping Northern nationalists. www.irishnews.com/opinion/corm...
Reposted by Tom Collins
Great chat with quiz legends Brian Mullen and Martin Bradley on BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show at lunchtime.
For many years, quizzes were the only entertainment in Derry, providing their own drama, casualties, and deathbed confessions...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
For many years, quizzes were the only entertainment in Derry, providing their own drama, casualties, and deathbed confessions...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
The Mark Patterson Show - Mark takes on the Handy Wee Derry Quiz Book! - BBC Sounds
Mark takes on the Handy Wee Derry Quiz Book!
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Great chat with quiz legends Brian Mullen and Martin Bradley on BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show at lunchtime.
For many years, quizzes were the only entertainment in Derry, providing their own drama, casualties, and deathbed confessions...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
For many years, quizzes were the only entertainment in Derry, providing their own drama, casualties, and deathbed confessions...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Reposted by Tom Collins
Michelle Mone can be expelled from the House of Lords by a simple majority vote in the Commons, and then in the House of Lords.
Like if she needs to go.
RT if she has to go.
Like if she needs to go.
RT if she has to go.
November 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Michelle Mone can be expelled from the House of Lords by a simple majority vote in the Commons, and then in the House of Lords.
Like if she needs to go.
RT if she has to go.
Like if she needs to go.
RT if she has to go.
www.irishnews.com/opinion/tom-... My column in today’s @irishnews.com online and in the shops.
Tom Collins: All of Europe should quake if Trump sells out Ukraine
Pity anyone who has Donald Trump as an ally
www.irishnews.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:16 PM
www.irishnews.com/opinion/tom-... My column in today’s @irishnews.com online and in the shops.
Reposted by Tom Collins
Brilliant thecritic.co.uk/auntie-in-th...
November 24, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Brilliant thecritic.co.uk/auntie-in-th...
Reposted by Tom Collins
Reposted by Tom Collins
1) Start the worst European war since 1945 and commit every imaginable war crime
2) Decide how you want to be rewarded for your aggression
3) Leak the list of your desiderata to the US press
4) Wait for the US president to enforce your wish list on your victim.
Russian policy 2025
2) Decide how you want to be rewarded for your aggression
3) Leak the list of your desiderata to the US press
4) Wait for the US president to enforce your wish list on your victim.
Russian policy 2025
November 23, 2025 at 3:30 PM
1) Start the worst European war since 1945 and commit every imaginable war crime
2) Decide how you want to be rewarded for your aggression
3) Leak the list of your desiderata to the US press
4) Wait for the US president to enforce your wish list on your victim.
Russian policy 2025
2) Decide how you want to be rewarded for your aggression
3) Leak the list of your desiderata to the US press
4) Wait for the US president to enforce your wish list on your victim.
Russian policy 2025
Reposted by Tom Collins
WANTED: A Chair that does not give way when sat on.
November 22, 2025 at 6:03 PM
WANTED: A Chair that does not give way when sat on.
Reposted by Tom Collins
Delighted to announce that vol 30 of 'Review of Scottish Culture' is now available online. It's another super issue, ranging through Scotland and across genres, from senior scholars and emerging voices. All free to download. Now open, for new submissions!
journals.ed.ac.uk/rosc
journals.ed.ac.uk/rosc
November 21, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Delighted to announce that vol 30 of 'Review of Scottish Culture' is now available online. It's another super issue, ranging through Scotland and across genres, from senior scholars and emerging voices. All free to download. Now open, for new submissions!
journals.ed.ac.uk/rosc
journals.ed.ac.uk/rosc
Reposted by Tom Collins
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n... This is frightening
More than half of UK novelists believe AI will replace their work
A new study by the University of Cambridge found many authors’ work has already been used – without their permission – to train large language models
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:52 AM
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n... This is frightening
Reposted by Tom Collins
My mother saved for years to go to Corfu she didn't get charitable status for it.
November 19, 2025 at 5:07 PM
My mother saved for years to go to Corfu she didn't get charitable status for it.
